This thoughtful article is from National Right to Life News Today. The author and I are probably pretty far apart politically on the core issues, but it’s nice to see that it’s possible to disagree and still have a reasonable, respectful discussion.

As if we needed to be told: abortion is not just a woman’s issue

By Dave Andrusko

The McClatchy-Tribune News Service columnist calls what he writes, “Ask Mr. Dad,” and earlier this week the headline on Armin Brott’s column was “Abortion not just a woman’s issue.” Needless to say, that caught my attention.

Dear Mr. Dad: My girlfriend is pregnant. We’d talked about having children someday but hadn’t expected it would happen so soon. She wants to terminate the pregnancy. But all of a sudden I’m feeling very depressed. I really want to be a dad and her decision to have an abortion is going to put an end to that dream, at least for a while. I’ve always thought of myself as pro choice, but now that the decision affects me, I’m not so sure. Do I have a vote here?

A: Thanks for having the guts to write this. I try to stay out of politics, but this issue involves more than Pro Choice vs. Pro Life (it’s also one that I expect will generate criticism from both sides), so I’m weighing in.

Abortion has always been “women’s issue,” but we’ve forgotten (or, worse, maybe never even realized) that men, too, are deeply affected by the reproductive choices women make. The phrase “a woman’s right to choose” usually means her right to have an abortion. But having the right not to become a parent includes the right to become one if she chooses.